Best Tropical Birding Tours in Africa, Our 2024 Top Pick
At the beginning of our journey, in 2001, three friends gave up on successful scientific jobs to go birding and pretend it was about work. With the support of our hardworking and compassionate employees, top-notch products, and devoted customers, we have expanded to provide a wide range of nature-based vacation options to more than 60 countries across the world. Each year, we host over 150 trips. From the majestic walruses of Svalbard to the flocks of tanagers in the Andes, we aim to share the beauty of nature with you. Maybe we’ll cross paths in the field soon…
Our Top Tropical Birding Tours
Uganda Birding Safaris
Birds of Uganda
As part of a traditional African wildlife safari, our birding excursions of Uganda include encounters with large apes, magnificent Albertine Rift bird endemics, and a plethora of captivating dream birds. You will undoubtedly come away from our tours eager to explore more of this amazing nation. East African nation Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda but more often known simply as Uganda, has a rich and fascinating past. Despite the negative connotations many people have of Uganda, the country has enjoyed relative political stability for almost 40 years. In the eight years after Lonely Planet named it one of the greatest countries in the world to visit and one of the top African countries to visit, the once-forgotten nation has witnessed a meteoric rise in tourism. We often see around 500 species on our set departure Uganda birding tours, and the country ranks among the most biodiverse in the world. It features all of the iconic African mammals, including gorillas, and an extensive bird list of 1093 species, including many exciting endemics to the Albertine Rift. Additionally, it is probably the easiest destination to find the mega Shoebill. The “Pearl of Africa” is rightfully so, thanks to its welcoming and tolerant population.
Rwanda Birding Safaris
Rwanda A Paradise for Birdwatchers
As a country with great ecotourism potential, Rwanda is particularly well-known as a site to see birds in the African Montane. The country is a fantastic spot for birdwatchers thanks to its diverse ecosystems, well-developed road system, and emphasis on safety. Because of its small size, Rwanda is home to some of the most desirable bird species in Africa, and birdwatchers can visit many different locations in a single day.
With the addition of several new species since 2010, Rwanda is now home to 703 different bird species (as of November 2018). Birdwatchers will not want to miss the 29 Albertine Rift Endemics and a plethora of Lake Victoria Basin Endemics, two of the stunning resident species.
Kenya Birding Safaris
Kenya Birding Tours: Kinangop Plateau – Wetland Birds
Oh, Kenya! For birdwatchers, big game hunters, and mammalogists alike, this is one of the most fascinating countries on Earth. We don’t try to pad our list with tons of “glimpse only” or “heard only” birds, but we routinely see well over 600 bird species on a three-week Kenya birding tour. So, you can see 550 to 750 bird species. While you’re in Kenya on a birding safari, you can see a plethora of animals, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, blue wildebeests (during their migration through the Masai Mara if your tour coincides with when they haven’t crossed into the Serengeti from Tanzania), giraffes, plains zebras, hippos, and more.
Things are changing fast in Kenya’s habitats. Because of how small everything is, you can go birding in a semi-arid region with African megafauna and bustards in the span of one morning, in an evergreen Afro-montane forest with the scarlet wings of a turaco that is mostly green adding vivid color to the scene, and in a cold highland grassland searching for Sharpe’s Longclaw and Aberdare Cisticola. On our Kenya birding tour, we will go to Kakamega Forest, which is renowned as one of the best birding woods in Africa. Here, we can see birds like the Turner’s Eremomela, stunning wattle-eyes, Great Blue Turaco, and even the rare Grey Parrot (though we usually see more of these on our West African bird tours). Incredible Kenya is home to a plethora of bird species, and we will make sure to visit some of its most popular lakes—Lake Naivasha, which is home to the world-renowned Elsamere Conservation Centre and Elsamere Lodge—as well as others, such as Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, and many more.
Tanzania Birding Tours
Birds of Tanzania
Experience the finest of East African wildlife and birding on one of our Tanzanian birding tours. Tanzania is often associated with the Serengeti National Park, which is a popular destination for animal photographers, birdwatchers, and other nature lovers. And it’s justified. You won’t find a better place to see wildlife in Africa than here. Species of brilliantly colored birds, cheetahs, lions, smaller cats (such as serval and caracal), and the rest of the megafauna that gives Africa its reputation live in the expansive grasslands and savannas of the Serengeti (and the neighboring Maasai Mara in Kenya). One of the most otherworldly things you can do is go birdwatching with wild animals. Additionally, there is the big wildebeest migration, also known as the gnu migration. The epicentre of this natural wonder is the Serengeti. One of the many great things about the Serengeti is the abundance of beautiful bird species it is home to. You can witness small groups of Fischer’s Lovebirds flying low over the grassland, resting in acacia trees, or foraging on the ground. A plethora of magnificently colorful birds inhabit East Africa, including Rosy-patched Bushshrikes and Superb Starlings. East African endemics, including the Red-throated Tit and the Grey-crested Helmetshrike, are rare and found only in certain areas of the park. Big wildlife isn’t the only thing to keep you busy in the Serengeti—or the neighboring Maasai Mara in Kenya.
